Modular portable work station having a movable support tray

ABSTRACT

A versatile, compact portable work station comprising a computer, a printer, and other peripherals, including but not limited to a digital camera, an optical scanner, a cellular telephone, a modem, and the like, that are efficiently interconnected with one another and stored within a carrying case. A computer tray supports the computer in spaced alignment above the printer. The computer tray is adapted to be advanced relative to the printer to permit easy access to both the printer and computer. The computer, printer and other peripherals are powered from a lead-acid battery that is stored within the carrying case. Also included in the case is a main control panel having a plurality of switches that are selectively operated to respectively connect the battery to one or more of the computer and peripherals, such that the work station is controlled completely from the carrying case.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a modular portable work station comprising acomputer and a plurality of computer peripherals that are interconnectedwith one another and efficiently packaged for storage within and controlfrom a carrying case.

2. Background Art

Portable offices have been commercially available for several years.More particularly, it is known to package a personal computer andvarious computer peripherals within a carrying case to facilitate thetransport and storage of a compact work station. However, theversatility of the portable office within such carrying case has beenundesirably limited. That is to say, and because of the spaceconstraints that are characteristic of the carrying case, the user isoften required to remove either the computer or the printer from thecase before access can be gained to each. In other cases, a computerprinter and other standard peripherals can not be easily packaged withinand controlled from the same carrying case, making it necessary for theoperator to have access to an external printer and/or the other computerperipherals. The foregoing shortcoming detracts from the advantage of aportable office, particularly when the work space is very small, such asthat which would be available on a plane or a train.

The versatility of some conventional portable offices is also limitedbecause of the lack of a fully integrated and self-contained operation.That is, the computer and all of the peripherals are not alwayscontrollable from the carrying case. More particularly, external sourcesof power, telephone receptacles, and the like, are sometimes necessarybefore the office can be made fully operational. Moreover, some portableoffices do not permit a user to selectively operate the computer andparticular ones of the peripherals from a readily accessible and easy tooperate master control panel.

It would therefore be desirable to have available a compact, portableoffice or work station including a personal computer, printer and otherconventional peripherals that are efficiently packaged and transportedwithin a carrying case. It would also be desirable that the computer andperipherals be controlled from the carrying case and selectivelyenergized, one or more at a time, at a readily accessible master controlpanel. It is still further desirable for the computer and printer to beused without having to remove either from the carrying case.

One example of a portable computer and printer that are operated withina carrying case is available by referring to U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,590issued June 6, 1989.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general terms, a compact portable work station is disclosedcomprising a personal computer, a printer and other conventionalperipherals that are all interconnected with one another and efficientlypackaged within and operational from an impact resistant carrying case.Besides the printer, the computer may be interfaced with one or more ofan optical scanner, a cellular telephone, a digital camera and a modemto permit facsimile and data transmission. A shroud extends across thefront of the carrying case and a lead acid battery is located at oneside of the shroud and mechanically connected thereto. The battery isseated upon the cellular telephone, and a data interface (to permitfacsimile and data transmission via the cellular telephone) is seatedupon the battery to create a vertical stack of peripherals within theshroud. Located at the opposite side of the shroud is the modem. Seatedupon the modem is the main circuit board. The circuit board iselectrically interconnected with a main control panel at the top of theshroud. The main control panel includes a plurality of readily availableswitches that are manually operated to selectively energize the computerand one or more of the peripherals.

Located at the rear and to one side of the carrying case is acompartment within which to receive the digital camera. A pair ofretaining straps surround the camera to hold it in place. Located at therear and to the opposite side of the carrying case are the computer andprinter supported in vertical alignment with one another. A printer trayis attached to the bottom of the carrying case, and the printer iscarrying thereon. Spaced above the printer tray is a computer tray onwhich the computer is carried. The printer tray and computer tray areinterconnected with one another by a pair of arms. Opposite ends of thearms are pivotally connected to respective brackets at each of theprinter and computer trays. Thus, the computer tray can be movedforwardly of the printer tray to permit easy access to both the computerand printer without having to remove either from the case.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the modular portable work station of thepresent invention with the carrying case opened and the computer andprinter removed therefrom;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the carrying case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the carrying case partially broken away;

FIG. 4 is an opposite side view of the carrying case partially brokenaway;

FIG. 5 shows the carrying case opened with the computer tray advancedforwardly of the printer tray;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the carrying case of FIG. 5 partially brokenaway showing the positions of the computer and printer relative to oneanother;

FIG. 7 is a side view to illustrate the positions of the computer trayand printer tray when the carrying case is closed;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the computer and printer trays of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram to illustrate the power distribution between apower source and the computer and peripherals which form the workstation of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The modular portable work station which forms the present invention isnow described while referring initially to FIG. 1 of the drawings, wherea carrying case 1 is illustrated for conveniently transporting andstoring the work station. The carrying case 1 is manufactured from animpact resistant material (e.g. ABS plastic), and includes a cover 2that is hingedly connected to a body 4 and adapted to rotate betweenopened and closed positions relative to said body. Located inside thecover 2 is a plurality of pockets and flaps 5-11 in which toconveniently store and carry a variety of common business and stationeryarticles. A handle 1 is coupled to the body 4 of carrying case 1 topermit the case 1 to be transported when cover 2 is closed upon body 4.

A shroud or enclosure 14 extends across &he front of the body 4 ofcarrying case 1. As will be explained hereinafter, the shroud 14surrounds a battery and a plurality of computer peripheral devices, oneor more of which may be used during operation of the work station.Located on top of and at one side of shroud 14 is a battery charger 16which may be removed from body 4. The battery charger 16 includes areceptacle 18 which is adapted to receive a power cord extending from anavailable 110 volt AC source of power. Located at the top of and at theopposite side of shroud 14 so as to be readily accessible to the user ofthe work station is a main control panel 20. The main control panel 20includes a plurality of function switches (designated generally by &hereference numeral 22) and a light emitting diode 24 to indicate thatpower is being supplied from a source thereof to the electricalcomponents of the work station. The purpose and operation of functioncontrol switches 2 will be described in greater detail when referring toFIG. 9.

A pair of ribbon cables 25 and 26 are located within the body 4 ofcarrying case to connect a compact portable computer (designated 100 inFIGS. 3 and 4) to a plurality of computer peripherals that are locatedwithin case 1. That is, first ends of ribbon cables 25 and 26 terminateat conventional electrical connectors 27 and 28 which are to bedetachably connected to the computer 100. The opposite ends of cables 25and 26 are connected to commercially available peripheral devices thatare adapted to interface with computer 100. By way of example, theperipheral devices to be carried within the body 4 of case 1 include adigital camera 30, a cellular telephone having an associated hand set 32and an optical scanner 34. However, the work station is not limited toperipheral devices 30, 32 and 34, such that these and/or otherconventional peripherals may be carried in case 1 and interfaced withcomputer 100.

To this end, a pair of retaining straps 35 and 36 extend from the bottomof body 4 to surround and retain the digital camera 30. The straps 35and 36 may contain complementary hook and loop material (not shown) bywhich said straps can be fastened to one another to hold camera 30 inplace within the carrying case 1. In addition, padded (e.g. foam) sidecushions 37 and 38 are secured to the bottom of body 4 between which thedigital camera 30 is received and protected against shock.

What is more, an antenna 40 is conveniently retained at the underside ofthe cover 2 of case 1 and interconnected with the cellular telephone(designated 54 in FIG. 2) to enable suitable telephone and modem (e.g.facsimile) communications. An auxiliary telephone input receptacle 42 islocated in the side of body 4. Receptacle 42 is adapted to receive anexternal telephone jack when it is not necessary or desirable to use thecellular telephone of carrying case 1 for modem or voice transmission.

As an important advantage of the present invention, computer and printertrays 44 and 46 (best illustrated in FIGS. 5-8) are positioned in spacedparallel alignment with one another at the rear of the body 4 ofcarrying case 1. As is also shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the computer tray 44supports the computer 100 and the printer tray 46 supports a printer200. However, and as will soon be disclosed, the computer tray 44 isinterconnected with and movable relative to the printer tray 46 tofacilitate easy access to and use of the computer 100 on tray 44 and theprinter 200 on tray 46.

FIG. 2 of the drawings shows the body 4 of carrying case 1 with thedigital camera 30 secured in the stowed position by retaining straps 35and 36. Camera 30 is connected by an associated connector 48 to thecomputer via circuitry contained on a main circuit board 50. The maincircuit board 50 is located below the shroud 14 at the front of body 4and contains the switching and power distribution electronics forcontrolling the operation of the portable work station in response tothe activation of function switches 22 on main control panel 20 (of FIG.1). The handset 32 and optical scanner 34 (of FIG. 1) may be stowedwithin the pockets 5-11 of cover 2 or wherever space is available withinthe body 4 of case 1.

Also located below the shroud 14 of body 4 in case 1 is a conventional12 volt lead acid battery 52. The battery 52 is mechanically connectedto the top of shroud 14 by means of an L-shaped bracket 53. To promotean efficient and compact packaging of the work station, the battery 52rests upon the cellular telephone 54 which is also disposed below shroud14. The cellular telephone 54 includes the usual power connector 56(best shown in FIG. 3) and a series of cooling vents 58. Cellulartelephone 54 also includes an antenna connector 60 (also best shown inFIG. 3) which communicates with the antenna (designated 40 in FIG. 1) atthe underside of the cover 2 by way of an antenna cable 62. A DC inputreceptacle 64 is located in the side of body 4 (opposite the side inwhich telephone receptacle 42 is located) to receive a 14.7 volt DCinput signal from the battery charger (designated 16 in FIG. 1) or anyother suitable voltage source.

In FIG. 2, the computer and printer trays 44 and 46 are shown arrangedin spaced parallel alignment with one another at the rear of the body 4of carrying case 1 with the computer and printer removed therefrom.Therefore, respective electrical connectors 27 and 28 of ribbon cables25 and 26 ar shown disconnected from the computer. However, in FIGS. 3and 4, the computer 100 and printer 200 are shown in place on computerand printer trays 44 and 46 with ribbon cables 25 and 26 connected tosaid computer by means of connectors 27 and 28.

The space conserving, vertically stacked alignments of the computer 100and associated peripheral devices are now described while referringconcurrently to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawings. As is best shown in FIG.3, a first vertical stack of peripheral devices is shown located at thefront and to one side of carrying case 1. This first stack of devicesincludes the cellular telephone 54 which is positioned at the bottom ofbody 4. Seated upon cellular telephone 54 is the battery 52, and seatedupon the battery 52 is a data interface 66. The data interface 66 isconnected between the cellular telephone 54 and the modem (designated 76in FIG. 4) to permit facsimile and data transmission. Data interface 66includes receptacle 68 for receiving the jack from the hand set(designated 32 in FIG. 1).

One leg of L-shaped bracket 53 is attached to battery 52 by means ofcomplementary strips of hook and loop material 67 (commercially known asVELCRO), and the second leg of bracket 53 is mated to the top of shroud14 by means of a pair of screws 69 (only one of which is shown) thatextend through the data connector 66 and the shroud 14. Thus, thebattery 52 is retained in place within shroud 14 by bracket 53 and thescrews 69 which penetrate said shroud. Moreover, the second leg ofbracket 53 supports the data interface 66 between the shroud 14 andbattery 52, whereby to preserve the stacked alignment of cellulartelephone 54, battery 52 and data interface 66, all wedged togetherwithin shroud 14. In this manner, additional space will beadvantageously available above the shroud 14 at which to store otherperipheral devices, such as the battery charger (not shown). It is to beunderstood that the order in which the cellular telephone 54, battery 52and data interface 66 are stacked relative to one another need not beexactly as illustrated. However, as a space conserving advantage of thepresent invention, these peripheral devices are located within theshroud 14, since it is not usually necessary that said devices beaccessible for use in or removal from the carrying case during normaloperation of the work station.

The computer 100 and printer 200 are spaced one above the other at therear of carrying case 1. The printer tray 46 is detachably secured tothe bottom of base 4 by means of opposing complementary strips of hookand loop fastener material (e.g. VELCRO) 70 attached to the bottom oftray 46 and the top of base 4. For optimum storage efficiency, theprinter 200 rests upon the printer tray 46, and, with the cover 2 ofcarrying case 1 in the closed position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, thelid 202 of printer 200 is correspondingly closed atop said printer.Printer 200 also includes the usual data connector 204 at one sidethereof to be interfaced with a data cable (not shown) from the computer100.

With the cover 2 of carrying case 1 closed, the computer tray 44 isarranged in spaced parallel alignment above the printer tray 46. Thecomputer 100 is detachably connected to the computer tray 44 by means ofopposing complementary strips of hook and loop fastener material (e.g.VELCRO) 72 attached to the top of tray 44 and the bottom of computer100. For optimum storage efficiency, computer 100 rests upon thecomputer tray 44 with the lid 102 thereof closed atop the computerkeyboard. The computer tray 44 is interconnected with the printer tray46 by a pair of arms 74 (only one of which is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4).However, as will be described in greater detail when referring to FIGS.5 and 6, the computer tray 44 may be advanced forwardly of printer tray46 and out of body 4 when the cover 2 of carrying case 1 is opened byrotating cover 2 upwardly and away from said body.

FIG. 4 of the drawings shows the aforementioned vertical alignment ofcomputer 100 and printer 200 on the respective computer and printertrays 44 and 46 at the rear of the body 4 of carrying case 1 with thecover 2 thereof closed. A conventional floppy disk drive 104 is locatedat one side of computer 100. Also shown in FIG. 4 is the verticalalignment of the modem 76 (to permit facsimile and data transmission)and the main circuit board 50 within the shroud 14 at the front and toore side of the body 4 of carrying case 1 opposite the side at which thecellular telephone 54, battery 52 and data interface 66 are stacked(best shown in FIG. 3). More particularly, one leg of an L-shaped plate78 is affixed (e.g. glued) to a side of shroud 14. The second leg ofplate 78 is located within the shroud 14 and spaced above the bottom ofbody 4. The modem 76 is detachably connected to the second leg of plate78 by means of opposing strips of hook and loop fastener material (e.g.VELCRO) 80 attached to the top of plate 78 and bottom of modem 76.Similarly, the main circuit board 50 is detachably connected to themodem 76 by means of opposing strips of hook and loop material (e.g.VELCRO) 82 attached to the top of modem 76 and the bottom of circuitboard 50.

The main circuit board 50 and modem 76 are stacked one atop the other atan out-of-the-way location within shroud 14 so as to conserve additionalspace within the carrying case 1. However, the switches 22 and lightemitting diode 24 on main control panel 20 are readily available to theoperator of the work station. Likewise, the stacked alignment of circuitboard 50 and modem 76 facilitates the electrical connection betweenswitches 22 and circuit board 50 as well as circuit board 50 and themodem 76 by way of a conventional header connector 83, ribbon cable 85and data connector 84.

Referring concurrently to FIGS. 5-8 of the drawings, details regardingthe movement of computer tray 44 relative to printer tray 46 areexplained for advancing the computer 100 carried on tray 44 out ofcarrying case 1. As earlier indicated, the computer tray 44 is connectedto printer tray 46 by a pair of parallel aligned arms 74. Each of thearms 74 is pivotally connected at first ends there to respective endbrackets 86 which project from opposite sides of the computer tray 44.Each of the arms 74 is also pivotally connected at the opposite endsthereof to respective end brackets 88 which project from opposite sidesof the printer tray 46. By way of example, a rivet or pin may be used topivotally connect the arms 74 between brackets 86 and 88.

Accordingly, the computer tray 44 which is supported above the printertray 46 by means of arms 74 may be lifted vertically and advancedhorizontally relative to printer tray), 46 when the cover 2 of carryingcase is opened. That is to say, when the cover 2 of case 1 is closedatop body 4, the computer tray 44 will be in closely spaced,face-to-face alignment with printer tray 46 (best shown in FIGS. 7 and8). Thus, to maximize space conservation, the computer 100 and printer200 will be positioned one over the other at the rear of case 1.However, and by virtue of the pivotal interconnection of arms 74 betweentrays 44 and 46, when the cover 2 of carrying case 1 is opened relativeto body 4, the computer tray 44 may be first raised upwardly from andthen moved forwardly of printer tray 46 (best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6) toclear the shroud 14 and facilitate access to the computer 100 and theprinter 200 thereunder. More particularly, the arms 34 are adapted torotate at the end brackets 86 and 88 to permit the computer tray 44 tobe simultaneously raised or lowered and moved forward or backwards fromretracted to advanced positions over the body 4 of carrying case 1 sothat the computer 100 will be correspondingly moved into and out ofvertical alignment with the printer 200.

FIG. 9 of the drawings shows a power distribution diagram and theinterconnection of the function switches 22 at the main control panel 20(of FIG. 1) between the power sources (i.e. battery charger 16 andbattery 52) and the computer 100 and peripherals. With a main powerswitch 22-1 opened, power will be removed from the peripherals. However,power will still be supplied from the battery charger 16 to computer 100via a DC-DC converter 90. That is, a 12 volt DC signal is applied frombattery charger 16 to an input terminal of DC-DC converter 90, and an 18volt DC signal is applied from an output terminal of converter 90 to thecomputer 100. With the main power switch 22-1 and a computer controlswitch 22-2 simultaneously closed, power can also be supplied to thecomputer 100 from lead acid battery 52.

With the main power control switch 22-1 closed, power will be suppliedto the modem 76 via a DC-DC converter 92. That is, a 12 volt DC signalis applied to an input terminal of DC-DC converter 92, and a 9 volt DCsignal is applied from an output terminal of converter 92 to modem 76.Likewise, with power control switch 22-1 closed, one or more of thecellular phone 54, printer 200 and digital camera 30 may be energized byselectively closing corresponding function switches 22 3, 22-4 and 22-5.An additional switch (not shown in FIG. 9) is also provided on controlpanel 20 to selectively connect the serial port of computer 100 toeither the camera 30 or modem 76 to permit data to be transferredtherebetween.

By virtue of the disclosed invention, a compact portable work stationincluding a computer, printer and other peripherals may be efficientlypackaged within and controlled entirely from carrying case. Being thatthe computer and peripheral devices are conventional, the detailsthereof have been omitted. Nevertheless, and for purposes ofillustration only, the computer 100 may be a commercially available20MHz 386SX notebook personal computer with a 40MB hard drive. Thedigital camera 30 is available from Dycam Corporation. The cellulartelephone 54 is available from Motorola Corporation. The printer 200 maybe a Bubble Jet Printer available from Canon Corporation. Moreover, thecarrying case 1 is a hard shell case available from SamsoniteCorporation.

It will be apparent that while a preferred embodiment of the inventionhas been shown and described, various modifications and changes may bemade without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus set forth the preferred embodiment, what is claimed is:
 1. Aportable work station including a carrying case and at least a computerand printer transported within the carrying case, said carrying casehaving a body in which said computer and printer are located and a covermovable to opened and closed position relative to the body, and saidwork station comprising:a printer tray attached to the body of saidcarrying case and supporting the printer; a computer tray spaced abovesaid printer tray and supporting the computer when the cover of thecarrying case is in the closed position; and positioning means by whichsaid computer tray is moved laterally and rotationally relative to saidprinter tray to permit easy access to the computer and the printer whenthe cover of the carrying case is in the opened position, saidpositioning means including at least one arm, a first end of said armpivotally connected to said printer tray and the opposite end of saidarm pivotally connected to an end of said computer tray such that saidcomputer tray is adapted to move laterally in generally parallelalignment with said printer tray and rotationally relative to saidprinter tray to form an angle therewith.
 2. The portable work stationrecited in claim 1, wherein said computer tray and said printer tray arelocated at one side of the body of the carrying case, said work stationfurther comprising a compartment located at the opposite side of saidbody within which to removably receive a peripheral device that is to beinterfaced with the computer.
 3. The portable work station recited inclaim 1, further comprising a source of power and a main control panelhaving a plurality of manually operable switches located thereon, saidswitches being selectively operated to respectively connect the computerand/or the printer to said power source.
 4. The portable work stationrecited in claim 3, further comprising a shroud extending across thebody of said carrying case and having top and side walls, said maincontrol panel located on the top wall and at one side of said shroud,such that said switches penetrate said top wall.
 5. The portable workstation recited in claim 4, further comprising a modem located withinsaid shroud and below said main control panel and a circuit boardsupported on top of said modem, said modem and said switches of saidmain control panel being electrically connected to said circuit board.6. The portable work station recited in claim 4, wherein said source ofpower is a battery, said battery located within said shroud at the sidethereof opposite said main control panel, and further comprising meansto support said battery from the top wall of said shroud.
 7. Theportable work station recited in claim 6, further comprising a cellulartelephone located within said shroud below said battery and a datainterface located within said shroud above said battery, said datainterface, said battery and said cellular telephone being stacked invertical alignment with one another.
 8. The portable work stationrecited in claim 7, further comprising an antenna for said cellulartelephone, said antenna located at the cover of said carrying case.
 9. Aportable work station including a carrying case and at least a computerand printer transported within the carrying case, said carrying casehaving a body in which said computer and printer are located and a covermovable to opened and closed positions relative to the body, said workstation comprising:a printer tray attached to the body at one end of thecarrying case and supporting the printer thereon; a computer tray spacedabove and in vertical alignment with said printer tray and supportingthe computer thereon; a battery located at the opposite end and at oneside of the carrying case; a cellular telephone arranged in verticalalignment with said battery; a modem located at the side of the carryingcase opposite said battery; and a main control panel having a pluralityof manually operable switches and a circuit board at which said switchesare electrically connected between said battery and each of saidcomputer, printer, cellular telephone and modem, said circuit boardarranged in vertical alignment with said modem, and said switches beingselectively operated to respectively connect one or more of thecomputer, printer, cellular telephone and modem to said battery.
 10. Theportable work station recited in claim 9, further comprising means tomove said computer tray relative to said printer tray to permit easyaccess to the computer and printer supported thereon.
 11. The portablework station recited in claim 10, further comprising a shroud extendingacross the body of said carrying case to form a hollow compartment belowsaid shroud, said battery and said telephone arranged in a firstvertical stack within said compartment, and said modem and said circuitboard arranged in a second vertical stack within said compartment.
 12. Aportable work station including a carrying case and at least a computer,a printer and one peripheral device transported within the carryingcase, said carrying case having a body in which said computer, saidprinter and said peripheral device are located and a cover movable toopened and closed positions relative to the body, said work stationcomprising:a computer tray and supporting the computer; a printer trayand supporting the printer; positioning means which position saidprinter tray and said computer tray one above the other such that one ofsaid printer or computer trays is movable relative to the other one ofsaid trays when the cover of the carrying case is in the openedposition; a shroud having a top wall extending across at least some ofthe body of said carrying case such that a hollow compartment is formedbelow said top wall and between said top wall and said body; a controlpanel located on the top wall of said shroud and having a plurality ofmanually operable switches, said switches being selectively operated tocontrol said computer, said printer and said peripheral device; acircuit board located below the top wall of said shroud and within saidcompartment, the switches of said control panel electrically connectedto said computer, said printer and said peripheral device by way of saidcircuit board; and said peripheral device located below the top wall ofsaid shroud and within said compartment.
 13. The portable work stationrecited in claim 12, wherein said circuit board is supported on top ofsaid peripheral device below the top wall of said shroud and within saidhollow compartment.
 14. The portable work station recited in claim 12,wherein said peripheral device within said hollow compartment is acellular phone.
 15. The portable work station recited in claim 12,wherein said peripheral device within said hollow compartment is amodem.
 16. The portable work station recited in claim 12, furthercomprising a battery to power each of said computer, said printer andsaid peripheral device, said battery located below the top wall of saidshroud and within said hollow compartment.
 17. The portable work stationrecited in claim 16, further comprising mechanical connecting means forconnecting said battery within said hollow compartment to the top plateof said shroud.